The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1887-01-02
FOR MORE EQUAL TAXATION
SOME POINTS IN .G0TERNOR AB-
BETTS MESSAGE ANTICIPATED.

The Demand for Equal Taxation Forci-
bly, Presented-Ad Hominena and Ad
Captandam Arguments That Must
Bear Fruit = Prospects OF Farther
Legislation.
Especial TO THE SUNDAY MORNING NEWS !
TRENTON, Jan. 1.-The indications are
that the Powers that Be will not be salts
fed with the results so far achieved in the
direction of equal taxation; and deter
mined effort will be made at the approach
ing session of the Legislature to place on
the Statute books an act that will tax rail-
road property at the same rate as private
estates. Governor Abbetts message, to be
read..at the opening of the session, will give
this new movement its first boom. It Will
deal with the finances, and not with the
morals Of the question; and is pronounced
by those who know something about it to
be the strongest State paper ever issued
from the Executive Department.
The Governors argument viii be based
on series of tables that have been pre-
pared showing il dollars and pennies what
share of the railroads burden the individ-
ual taxpayers IN each community in the
State are forced to bear. His figures will
prove the fallacy of General Sewell's FREE
quently iterated statement that the average
rate of taxation all over the State is about
one per cent, and that when the railroads
pay the one per cent. exacted of them by
the Act of 1884, they do as much for the
community as any other taxpayer does.
The Governors Message will show that the
total assessed value of the rateables of the
State is about $50, 900, 900, and that the
total tax, local and school, these are forced
to pay aggregate about 50 500 600. The to-
tai value OF railroad property is to be shown,
and it will be proven that the tax paid on it
falls way below the proportion it should be
to the whole tax levy of the State. In fact,
if the railroads paid to each municipality
in which they have property located their
proportion of the tx, they would pay
something over $500, 600 into the various
treasures all over the State. The Cover
nor will make practical application of these
figures by showing railroad property there
is in each municipality, and just what part
Of the $500, 900 would be lifted from the
| shoulders of the taxpayers in each locality,
| if an equal taxation law were put IN force.
| Such an array of facts will enable each con-
stituency to see what it may gain or lose
! by the vote of his Assemblyman oa the
| equal taxatioa bill that is now being forInri-
latsd, and viii probably force many gentle
men to vote for the bill who might have
dared, with less light on the subj Ct. to
have voted against it.
/ AS has been stated already, the message
effectually cisposes Of Gen. Sewell's claim
that the railroads, after all, pay about the
same rate of tax as other taxpayers The
figures show that the average rate of taxa
ton, the State over, is over SIS on the
thousand more than IL per cent.
The message will be followed by aggres'
sive action for an equal taxation bill. 'Tks
railroads may be expected to oppose il. bu'
the active opposition of the Pennsylvania
Railroad is not anticipated. If that IS mol
encountered the bill may go through.